II: The Unfailing Light CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO In the end, the empress was not that cruel at all. The spell was lifted, and my mother and brother arrived at Smolny to pick me up the day the Christmas holidays began. Maman seemed nervous as she came to my room to oversee my packing. “It is freezing in here, Katiya! How do you sleep at night?” I didn’t know if she was sensing anything supernatural or not. I decided not to mention the ghost to her, for surely she would want to hold a séance. Petya was waiting in our family carriage at the gates. I gathered up my belongings and hurried downstairs. We had almost made it to the door when I saw Elena’s brother and sister in the hallway. “My lovely duchess, Katerina Alexandrovna,” Crown Prince Danilo said, taking my hand. His warm lips lingered on my skin. I tugged my hand away. “And your beautiful mother is with you.” Maman curtsied. “Your Highness.” He did not take her hand, I noticed. Anastasia of Montenegro, now the duchess of Leuchtenberg after her marriage to my uncle George, smiled at Maman.
